Douglas G. Cala 'Oenomel: The EP' Interview
Six months in the making, "Oenomel: The EP" arrives as my first professionally produced album project. Containing a multitude of themes including current events, futurism, pop culture, and socio-politics, along with the binding agent of Greek mythology as its foundation, this record promises to offer listeners a stark but welcome counterpoint to what they've seen me do as a live spoken word performance poet. As this album suitably goes against the grain and pushes my own creative envelope in unexpected and trenchant ways, I cordially invite you on this sonic and multi-dimensional odyssey. - Douglas G Cala
What inspired the title?
The title "Oenomel" is derived from a beverage that the Ancient Greeks used to drink that they believed would heal them from diseases/maladies. In much the same way, this album, for those who choose to readily imbibe it, will act as an elixir to heal my listenership from whatever stressors they have going on in their respective lives. Music does have prominent healing factors and positive effects on the mind/body and when I was creating this release, I had that at the forefront of my mind throughout every stage of its development. So did my producer, Brandon Bustamante.
Where did you record this album?
At my producer/engineer Brandon Bustamante's home studio in Staten Island, NY over a period of six months, meeting once weekly or bi-weekly. It was an intense process and since it's my first professionally recorded project, I put every ounce of my own ingenuity and craft into the process. It was a collaboration between myself, Brandon, and featured musical guests Comfort Cat & Ri Tornello (they contributed to one of my favorite tracks "What Mythology Teaches").
What is your favorite track? Why?
I think "Happened, Yesteryear" takes the cake for me. I wrote that during a very self-reflective period and I think it puts a laser-focus on my psyche and mental state in both positive and negative ways. It offers a multi-dimensional, deep-seeded snapshot of how my mind has tended to operate in my late 20s/early 30s and how it has worked both for and against me. I love the upright bass line on it (very A Tribe Called Quest influenced), the turntablism, the vocal and instrumental post-produced effects, etc. It just synthesizes into a very robust and complete listening experience that I hope the rest of the album also offers in equal measure. I also love the pacing of it, too. It moves at quite a clip and encompasses a lot of ground in an under three minute package. So, in short, there's plenty for the ear as well as the mind, to relish and takeaway from.
What is your favorite line from the album?
"Away with the manifestation of strife, forge ahead in the wildfires of your life" from the fifth track "Trailblazers". The reason being is that it leaves the listener with a resounding and universally relatable message that no matter how much a person is experiencing, how overwhelmed they are, and how insurmountable things seem, they have the power to discard that negativity and siphon it as positive fuel to go out and do positive and encouragingly forward-thinking things with their lives. No one has to stay operating in a negative space, it isn't forced upon anyone. I believe it to be a headspace that a person, with enough willpower and supports and conviction, can find their way out of the smog and into the breathable air.
Who helped make this album what it is? Writers, Producers, Muses, Support System, Etc.
I definitely need to thank my producer, Brandon Bustamante aka Nu in the Shu for his total commitment to the creative direction I wanted to achieve. He was not only very encouraging and accommodating, but he hardly questioned where I was going with it and if he did, we worked on reaching a consensus as to where to take each track and the overall opus as a whole. Also need to thank my additional musical collaborators on this project, songstresses Comfort Cat & Ri Tornello. They made "What Mythology Teaches" one of my other favorite tracks, really meld together beautifully.
I'd also like to thank my support systems in the various creative/live arts communities I belong to - both in person and online. Shout out to my Shaolin crew, as well as a relatively new community I joined within the last year called the {Poetry} Unfold, out of Union City, NJ and of course all of the poets/writers along with the hosts of both Phoenix Reading Series' Jennifer Juneau and Michael Graves. I would also like to thank Marissa Prada, founder of Read or Green Books for providing me a space online to perform and mingle with creatives across the country virtually on Zoom. Last shout outs goes to my Editor in Chief, Erric Emerson, and the rest of the staff of the publication I staff edit for called Dark Onus Lit.
If you could remix any song and feature any artist, what song would it be and who would you feature on it?
I think I'd wanna remix "Treatise of Time" and possibly feature someone with a silky smooth vocal cadence and piano skill like John Legend on the record. I've also wanted to work with some of my favorite hip-hop MCs so I think I'd like to beef up the track even more and feature guest spots from Slug ("Atmosphere"), Del the Funky Homosapien ("Hieroglyphics" and "Deltron 3030"), Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, Raekwon ("Wu Tang Clan"), and Black Thought ("The Roots") to name a few.
What is your goal when you create?
My goal when I create is to not only elicit an emotional response but to provide a wellspring of knowledge to my prospective audience. The sheer act of creation, to me, involves that channeling of energy and my goal is to siphon the energy from myself and imbue it within anything I am slated to work on and make. In the craft of spoken word, I consider myself a vessel that, regardless of the kind of crowd I am performing for, I keep these goals foremost in mind. Audience engagement is paramount and integral to me and I want those in the seats to come away with something new or revelatory each time they see me. When I perform, I am reaching certain epiphanies about myself and the space I am in at any given moment and I want my audience to allow for the same. An energetic exchange, if you will. When I get hired for multimedia/film/tech theater work, the goal for me is to ensure ultimate and seamless collaboration. It's a process and in those fields especially, there's a synergy that must be propagated and sustained and working relationships in different departments and artisans with different and a multitude of experience in their respective disciplines. Obviously, when collaborating, it is crucial to be as mindful of everyone as possible and to be upfront, transparent, and wholly communicative. This ensures all of these professionals are on the same page regardless what role they play in the tasks at hand. I've also collaborated with writers on group pieces (for slam competition) and this is another area where communication and transparency are key. My goals don't necessarily change or shift but they are pretty stringent in terms of their solidification. When I was younger and less experienced, I was all about networking because i didn't know anyone but now that that networking has paid off, my goal orientation has changed and bonded/melded in such a way. Obviously, adding other creatives to my network is important but I don't place as much of a premium on it, these days, because I've taken many years to develop the network and resources I have now.
What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream?
The best advice I could say is if you want your dream to be a reality, set goals. Break your goals up into categories such as present-day/immediate and goals you'd be able to reach in the long term. Also, never rush the process and trust in it because it will be bumpy. Also, don't compare your journey to others and if someone rails against you about your dream, pay them no mind and continue on. It's also VERY important to be realistic about one's dream. Some things can be pipe dreams and might not be readily attainable. Other types of dreams can be probable and, with enough planning, strategizing, talent, drive, and contact-making, can be achieved. Also, if you have a dream, look to others who are more experienced who have achieved theirs and align yourself with those people especially if there's overlap with respect to the kinds of dreams you want to actualize.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shutterremnant/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dougcala
Facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/doug.cala/
Website: https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/douglas_g_cala
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/embed/artist/3dad8q9qfW8HuX0cv0CUSs?utm_source=generator
Photography credit: Front album cover credit: Brandon Bustamante/Nu in the Shu
Brandon Bustamante headshot: Self
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